Fresh air intake vent

I'm finishing my basement and I have a fresh air intake just hanging in the middle of my utility room. It's a full-size HVAC vent pipe and it lets in a LOT of cold air. Can I redirect it so that it runs directly to my furnace's cold air return and maybe set up another, smaller pipe to let air in for the clothes dryer?

Fresh air intake vent

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Fresh air intake vent

Okay, I understand that all of those appliances require combustion air - but does it need to be an 8 inch vent? I was reading on askthebuilder.com that you can use a 4 inch vent in most cases. I was also reading in Home Depot's DIY book that US building code doesn't require a fresh air intake, although Canada's does. Has that changed in the past year or 2?

Fresh air intake vent

Don't get fresh air and combustion air mixed up. Fresh air is for the living area and usually goes into the return air. Combustion air is the air that the furnace and water heater need to burn properly. Combustion air would be needed with any kind of furnace and water heater in any country. The combustion air is sized by how many BTU's your appliances are rated at. We would not know if 8" is right or not unless you give us this information. It should NOT be tied into your return air. It should be dumped into the furnace room or if the house has enough air it can be drawn from the inside. I would assume that you have a sealed mechanical room which is why they brought the air in from the outside.